Random Thoughts and comments

As I sit and meditate on the actions of the past two weeks, I take note of the things that I have said and thoughts that I had. This will be scattered as I will write it as it comes to mind. First, contrary to popular belief, the movie "Precious" was not that good at all. However, the acting was EXCELLENT. A movie is pretty convincing when you are cheering for the main character to elevate themselves to getting on welfare and hoping they can complete their GED.

I am apprehensive about the State of Michigan's TIP program, although my godbaby is taking advantage of it. It just seems to good to be true. We shall see...

I already know that I have ruffled some feathers in the "community." As a matter of fact, some have been talking crap about me.....LOL (that's funny for real!) At any rate, I will take up Power law number 9 (read Robert Greene's "48 Laws of Power") Your thoughts do not concern me in the least. Nothing but prosperity to you and yours.

I am ready to make the tough decisions, but remember, if you leave it to me, then you are relinquishing control. Do NOT think that I will give it back, because quite honestly, I WONT. I am not a control freak, but I do NOT believe in doing something that has been unsuccessful as an alternative to the same actions being done previously. In the words of Albert Einstein "Doing the same thing and expecting a different result is insanity (paraphrased)."

Prioritization is crucial this week. I have to be concerned with many issues and it is imperative that I give each one my full attention and thought. First is my son's choice of college. That is a whole nother blog entry in and of itself...LOL.

In spite of all these things, I realize and acknowledge that GOD is in control and I am trusting HIM to lead and guide me in the choices that I must make. I offer up the serenity prayer and keep pushing. Seasons greetings to everyone. May GOD bless you and keep you throughout the holiday season.

Be Blessed

the "Orphan"...reveiw

We'll keep this one quick.....on the 1 to 10 scale, with 1 being the most horrible thing ever created and 10 being a cinematic masterpiece, the Orphan was a solid .....5. It wasn't the worst, but it was nowhere near the best. Wait for the DVD.

Be Blessed!

G.I. Joe....(thoughts)

Overall, it was a fun movie. Plenty of action. What disturbs me is the stories that were made up in order to bring stuff together. For those who are not in the know, or don't go back to the time when G.I. Joe was one person (remember with Bulletman and the bionic guy?) But I cannot be so critical as to trash the movie because they had to write some stuff in. It was straight up fun. I recommend it. On a scale of one to ten, with one being the worst of all time and ten being the greatest thing ever made I give it a............7.

and as always,

Be Blessed!

Things that the 30's have taught me...

As I approach the big 4-0, I was thinking back on life and taking stock of the past 10 years. I have been through a lot this decade, divorce, war, marriage and a myriad of personal issues that I care not to discuss at this time (I am not going to put my business on a blog or facebook, ever). Here are some of the things that I have learned in the past ten years:

1. Trust is something so valuable, that you do not realize its value until you either lose it, or others lose it in you.

2. Presentation is 75% of the matter (when you have no idea what is going on). Ergo, if you present yourself correctly, people will believe you.

3. If the dealer is showing six, stand. (Vegas reference)

4. Music is getting progressively dumber and anybody can make it now, no talent required. (I have too many examples to begin naming...)

5. Technology is the "gift and the curse." What if I really don't want to talk to you, nor know that you have called?

6. It takes 15 voicemail messeges to fill up my voicemail box. (See number 5)

7. Family is MOST important (after GOD).

8. Living in Detroit (metropolitan area) is...

9. Higher education leads to a higher paying job, which leads to more bills.

10. There is a reason that it is called a "business PLAN."

11. It is not WHAT you know but who you know. However, it then becomes WHAT they know.

12. I no longer like South Park, after the movie it was just over for me. I attribute it to age...

13. I fuss like my mother, yet I have my fathers demeanor (it is a demonstration of opposites).

14. The entire cast of Seinfeld are a rich collection of blithering idiots...operative word? Rich.

15. "Fraser" is the funniest show ever written.

16. The value of time is something that should never be "wasted" or "killed" i.e. wasting time, killing time etc.

17. There is an understated value in having a good attorney.

18. That value is even greater when you are the attorney. (Candace and Marquita)

19. Read everything in its entirety, before you sign...

20. GOD loves us, unconditionally, however, HE hates some of the things that we do...(69 verses in the Bible tells these things i.e. homoesexuality, lying, pride etc)...and that is what can get you out of HIS favor.

21. If you know someone is doing wrong and you assist in any way, you are just as guilty...

22. If you want nice things, make sure you can afford to keep them up.

23. The less a man makes declaretive statements, the less likely he is to look foolish in retrospect. (Ok I cannot take credit for that one, Quentin Tarrentino-"Four Rooms")

24. You can walk into any African American family reunion and ask, "How is Peaches doing?" or "I don't see Sam out here." and they will probably give you a plate and let you eat.

25. No problem that you have will cause the world to stop spinning, anything that is messed up can be repaired. Just do NOT hide it.

26. People have an insatiable desire to continue to push the envelope, no matter what the area.

27. I hate driving long distances.

28. Relaity television is no substitute for REAL LIFE.

29. Texting can probably be traced to the decline in language arts skills in children (I just don't know how yet).

30. Guys, look at her mother, cause this is who she will be in 40 years.

31. Ladies, look at how he treats his mother, cause this is how he will treat you.

32. Ladies, if he doesn't open the door for you, don't open a door for him...(read between the lines).

33. It is no longer worth it if you are borrowing to invest and constantly getting nowhere.

34. All sunshine makes a desert, all rain makes a swamp, the right combination makes a beautiful garden.

35. Being a Pastor is a CEO position, if you have no business sense, just be an evangelist.

36. Faith without works is dead. (Let that sink in for a minute).

37. You can teach someone everything they know, but never teach everything that you know.

38. Diligent hands makes one rich. (Let that sink in too).

39. Being alone is NOT the same as being LONELY.

40. Fat meat really is greasy and that has nothing to do with the price of tea in China. (Y'all know what I am talking about...LOL)

and as always,

Be Blessed!

To Whom Much is Given...

This is ringing in my head so strong, and "no" I have not been watching "Spider Man." I have been in conversations and debates with many people, about the "realness" of GOD and how people are looking for "signs." What more do you need? First of all, you woke up this morning, like the old folks used to say, "enclothed in your right mind." This is where it ends though, because if you have grown enough to question GOD, you cannot possibly be in your right mind. The Bible says that, "HIS ways are not our ways..." Quite simply put, we obviously do not know what is best for us, we think we do, but we don't, and I can admit that.

Back to the topic, I was thinking about those who are so enamored with finances. They pray for financial freedom and they are not in a proper mind state to be able to handle any kind of prosperity. I have found myself in this situation, and until I am ready for a financial blessing, I will NOT receive one. So people, I ask you, please stop praying to become rich. That is just stupid. Instead pray for the understanding needed in order to handle finances whether it be what you have or what you would like to have, in this gaining of understanding, you are fulfilling the exhortation of,"...in all thy getting, get understanding." (Proverbs 4:7)

and as always,

Be blessed!

Truth of the Matter

As I sit here on the 16th of July 2009 reviewing some of the current events, I am going to share the "truth of the matter" like:

1) The media is so powerful they can fool people into believing things that are NOT true, the truth of the matter is that, as lovely a woman that Beyonce Knowles (Carter) is, she CANNOT sing. So many people are gassed up to see her and pay their (or someone else's) hard earned money for her concert. It really puzzles me.

2) While being an elected official is an honor and a privledge it comes with a lot of responsibility, the truth of the matter is, it SUCKS when you make decisions that effect people whose salaries more than double yours, in some cases....triple!

2b) Which leads me to this...since when did it become about anything else but the children? Truth of the matter is, people don't care, how do I know this? Because the very people that work in the neighborhood, will not allow their children to go to school in the very area that pays you an exorbitant amount of money, Whisket Tango Foxtrot is wrong with this picture?

3) Monica Conyers had "Kwame Kilpatrick Syndrome" squared. First of all, she was elected on her name (trust me, I have room to talk on this one...LOL) and she made a circus of the city council. However, more than that she probably thought that she was untouchable because of who her husband is. Truth of the matter is, let me say this so that you all understand where I am coming from....(clearing my throat)

If you break a federal law, the feds WILL GET YOU!

flat out, plain and simple.

4) What is the fascination with Sasha Baron whatshisname (Bruno and other ridiculous characters)? Truth of the matter is, his success is a reflection of how society is going to hell in a handbasket. Well he will not get ANY of my money, I guarentee it!

5) People are just stupid. I just have to be honest, truth of the matter is, if you dont have anything, dont put your mouth on someone who is working their behind off to provide for their family while you are a ward of the state, and my taxes are feeding your trifilng @$$!!!

6) In spite of everything GOD still loves us and HIS love is eternal and forgiveness is always available. Truth of the matter is, HIS mercy is new every morning and thank GOD because we are all human...

Mental Makeup (Integrity)

I was chatting with a young man when I realized something wife said, "We go through the things that we experience to help someone else." This was a profound statement. I think about the people who spoke to me and told me things that I dismissed as rhetoric. Now that those men are gone on, I recognize that the things that they said were true and I wish that I would have been listening a little closer.

These days, I am blessed to spend a LOT of time with my father. This time, I listen. Plain and simple, I know that I really don't know much and the wisdom that my father gives me is worth more than money can buy. I could literally write a book of the things that I have learned. A lot of things would actually raise some eyebrows, but that is for another time.

The greatest thing that I have learned from my father is integrity. You see, integrity is is defined by yours truly as just being real. If you say you're going to do something, do it. If you say you are going somewhere, go there. That is the greatest testament to you is your reputation, your name.

Imagine what happens when people know you are coming, they actually look forward to seeing you because it is a break from the phony and fake.

How is your mental makeup? Are you operating in integrity? Do people say that you are a man/woman of your word? That is my goal, because in all facets of my life, I have to be a man of integrity. In my relationship with my wife, I must have integrity. My wife needs to know that when I say something she can take it to the bank. My kids need to know that when dad says he is going to do something or take them somewhere, we are going.

Have I been this person always? No. I admit to that. However, I know that I have raised my level of integrity since I got a revelation. Your word is your bond. That is the basis of integrity. There is more such as doing the right thing all of the time, even when no one is watching.

What do you get when you are a man/ woman of integrity?

Trust.

Be Blessed!

Time

As I sit here watching the NBA draft, I ponder on the lives of Ed McMahon, Farah Fawcett, and Michael Jackson I hearken back to a time where I would sneak and stay up to watch the Tonight Show with Johnny Carson (still the best) if it was a Wednesday night I would have already watched Charlie's Angels and if I said I didn't like Mike, I would be lying.

While I could give a commentary on the three of them who died at the ages of 86, 62, and 50 respectively, I choose to zero in on the six year old who drowned at the Knights Inn a couple of days ago. What is my point? My point is this, 6 or 86 time is precious. You see not one of these people thought that this day would be the one that would be their last. They were in different places Ed and Farah had cancer, MJ died from heart failure and the child, well the child drowned. That's why my status showed Job 14:1, "Man that is born of a woman is of few days and full of trouble." Your few may be more or less than my few but best believe a few is a few. We are obligated to make our "few" count. What are you doing to make your few count? Let your loved ones know what they mean to you. Repair broken relationships, remember, you are not judged on how people treat you, but how you treat people.

Be Blessed!

Husbands

As inspired by Pastor R.A.Vernon

Men men men. We here the word everyday. Phrases like, "I am man!" "Man I ain't no punk." "Man c'mon" and etc. What is it to be a real man? Most guys mistake masculinity for being a man. Most don't think about that. I know women who are heterosexual, who have masculine traits. Most not by choice, but they have been forced into having to be that role model. Some women are just better than their male counterparts at doing things that society deems "a man's job." One of my parents neighbors can be seen outside weekly cutting her grass, qhilw hwe husband goes in and out of the house. I even recall a few years ago, having to replace the faucet in my bathroom, I was attending a memorial for the father of one of my (military) brothers. My wife had arrived a little bit late when I said that I had to get home to fix that faucet. My wife informed me that she had already installed the new one.  A pleasant surprise to me, of course! My point is this, guys want a woman who is feminine, but these are the same individuals who have forced these same women to take on masculine traits. This is not an attack on all men, this is just something that was revealed to me by Pastor Vernon, and I would like to share with the husbands.

     How consistent are we? I mean seriously, how consistent are you? Is your integrity in line, do you do the right thing, even when no one is looking? Even when you know you could get away with it? Do we tell our spouses that we will do something, and then conveniently forget? Now memory loss does happen, but does it happen often when you tell your spouse that you will do something? Let's discuss this.

First lets look at Ephesians 5:25 (KJV) Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it;

Now this is a common passage of scripture and most men always want to go to the part where the wives are supposed to submit, we will deal with that a little bit later on.

Men we are tasked to love our wives as Christ loved the church, it doesn't say that we are to be "in love," it says "to love." In the comparative voice we (men) are compared to Christ, women are likened unto the church. I think that it is safe to say that Christ loves the church always no matter what. HIS love for us in unconditional and it always exists. HIS love is consistent. This is how we are to love our wives. We need to be constantly consistent. I had to learn this because I found my wife constantly getting on my nerves. This is a constant test, however Colossians 3:19 (KJV) states: "Husbands, love [your] wives, and be not bitter against them."  Kind of simple isn't it? 

Now back to the submission statement, the Bible instructs us in I Peter 3:7 (KJV) "Likewise, ye husbands, dwell with [them] according to knowledge, giving honour unto the wife, as unto the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life; that your prayers be not hindered."

 The beauty of the Bible is the symmantical aspect of how it is written. Notice the Bible does not say that the wife "is" the weaker vessel it says to honour her "as unto" or as "if" she is the weaker vessel. If you think that a woman is weak, you try giving birth to a child. I personally want no part of the physical aspect of it. Why do you think that the curse that GOD placed on woman in the garden of Eden was to greatly multiply their sorrow in childbirth? All men got was to eat bread from the sweat of our face (Genesis 3:17-19). The final strike to women was that men would rule over them, nothing was stated that men rule over them because men are superior. Take that into consideration the next time you tell your significant other that they need to submit to you. Know the reason they are to submit, and then treat them as you are supposed to treat them. If you treat them in the correct GODLY manner, you will be blessed. If you go back to I Peter 3:7 the last part says, "and as being heirs together of the grace of life; that your prayers be not hindered."  

You see men, if you treat your wives the way that GOD intended, then your prayers will not be hindered. Here is a way to look at the whole thing, if a prayer is figuratively a dollar and a man is worth $.50 and you treating your wife like a quarter, you'll never add up to that dollar to get your prayer through, it will be hindered, because no matter what you do, you will never add up, but when you treat her like an equal you will make your endeavors successful. Together we are heirs, not one without the other.

Be blessed!

Memorial Day

This holiday has a special meaning to me. It was 4 years ago when I spent this holiday with an M-16 in 120 degree weather, with 35 lbs of gear on guarding our area. I often think back about 2004. Believe it or not, those times were not all bad. I grew close with guys whom I consider my brothers to this day. You see, when I come to you, I come from the perspective of a redeemed man of GOD, with an experience unlike most that we come into contact with. I have been in the heat of battle, I have been under attack in more ways than most of you could imagine, I have been involved in things that I am almost ashamed of, however I know I went through the experiences to edify my brothers and to educate young men who might be in need of guidance. 

The reason that I am reaching out is that we must be careful in how we address and use words like "into battle" and we "went to war." Now I know we as saints of GOD are in a spiritual battle, the Bible says that. However, when we are living our day to day lives, we are to be witnesses by our actions more so than our words. I tend to have issue with those who talk about being at war, and they have never even thought about enlisting in any military service. We do not choose our battles, we do not get to interject our opinion into what we are doing when we are in the desert, sweating like slaves shoveling lime into a hole that we use as a latrine. There is a lot of glamour that is portrayed concerning war and wartime situations, truth of the matter is this: IT IS NOT A GAME.  

I have been reading stories about my comrades who have given their mortal lives to help people who could not help themselves, a marine who saw two youngsters in the atlantic ocean and swam out to save them, only to surrender his life, when his daughter came out to help and had to choose between saving the teenagers or saving her father. Others who have made sacrifices: guys like Pat. Pat is a man who fought of a mugger who was attacking an elderly couple. Pat subdued the offender and held the guy, who was twice his size, until the police came and arrested him, he did this with no help from bystanders who chose to watch and not take action. Jarodd is another person, who awoke in his apartment smelling smoke coming from the hallway could have just easily got his wife out of the building, but he went above and beyond, he not only evacuated his wife, he got most of the tenants out of the building. These are things that most will not hear about. 

So as we turn in this Memorial Day let us not be so "super spiritual" that we cannot appreciate those who risk and have laid down their lives for their fellow man for Jesus said, 

"Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends"- John 15:13

Be Blessed!

Idolatry

After a brief hiatus, I have gotten somewhat of a revelation. This is not so much Biblical as it is something that just bothers me. Earlier this evening, the finals of American Idol were held and over 100 million people took the time to vote for someone. This leads me to question our country as a whole. In case you did not know, I recently was involved in the school board election in my neighborhood. I actually came in second with 166 votes. This is absolutely ridiculous! I am going to be effecting the decisions that help or possibly hinder the children in my community yet people feel that the Idol is more important than what is going on in their own community. Another example, the Mayoral election in Detroit. Only 15% of the registered voters showed up to vote. What further distrubs me are people who say that they don't vote. That is the DUMBEST thing that a person can say to me. People have DIED so that this skinny kid from Inkster could go to the polls and cast a simple little vote. I guess this is simply ignoracne overtaking the masses. Here is the Biblical relation, "My people perrish for a lack of knowledge..." How much do we value this simple life that we lead? It is just a vapor, yet, someone decided to lay down their own existence to allow both women and minorities to vote. The very same reason that we worship Jesus for laying down HIS life for us so that we may have life everlasting, Christians flock by the millions, yet we cannot get 1000 people to vote. What is up with this? The spirit of idolatry is alive within the world that we live in. There is nothing new under the sun, what the enemy tends to do is to rename and repackage sin and it becomes okay with the masses. For example idol worship. In ancient times one of the false gods were worshipped via the impregnating of women, inducing them to give birth to the child (alive or dead) and sacrificing the child, in a jar, by fire. How does this relate to anything? Check out how abortion is actually completed and you tell me. People please wake up. Like the old song says, "Time is winding up."

Be Blessed! 

...The Lord will fight your battle

The beginning of the song says, "If I hold my peace, then the Lord will fight my battle, victory victory shall be mine." It got me to wondering, what is your limit? Now this wont sound like much of a sermon but David said, "Encourage yourself in the Lord" so y'all will excuse me if I go off on a tangent this week.

For those of you who do not know, I am a war veteran. Let me make this perfectly clear, I have been under fire and it was my job to make sure that the enemy died, plain and simple. The problem is, when you operate at a high level for a long period of time the human psyche cannot just "come down" and revert to normal behavior. The fact of the matter is, it has taken me approximately five years to get back to a semblance of normalcy. During this five year period I have done some dumb things and some dangerous things, fortunately GOD has kept me through them all, and for that I give HIM praise. However, when one has been through the things I have, seen the things I have seen (a lot of which I will NEVER discuss with any of you) there comes a point when you ask yourself, "Do I hold my peace? or Hold my piece?"

You see, the level of my recovery was reached and breeched a couple of days ago. I am not one who gets upset when I get cut off driving or when someone cuts in front of me in line. My level is when a family member is threatened, a child is assaulted or someone I love is in danger which causes me to ask, " Do I hold my peace, or hold my piece?"

I am at a point right now, where I must practice the things that I have been saying for the past month or so. As a person who believes in the healing power of GOD, I came to the realization that I am still human . I am still flesh and blood. So what do I do now? Do I hold my peace or hold my piece?

What do I do now? Well here is my recipe for victory:

(1) Pray

(2) Fast

(3) Sow a seed

(4) Pray again

To be continued...

 

Prophecy

This is a subject that has always been somewhat mysterious to me. I often hear many men and women of GOD referred to as prophet and prophetess as well as overseer, pastor, minister, elder and bishop. While these are all legitimate titles that are bestowed upon the peoples of GOD within the body of CHRIST, I want to deal with prophets and prophecy.

 

The gifts of the Holy Spirit are diverse, 1 Corinthians 12:10-11 tells us:

 

to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another discerning of spirits, to another [different] kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues.

But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually as He wills.

 

What is prophecy? Strong’s gives this definition:

 

a discourse emanating from divine inspiration and declaring the purposes of God, whether by reproving and admonishing the wicked, or comforting the afflicted, or revealing things hidden; esp. by foretelling future events.

 

 

What most people do not know, is that the first prophets in the Bible were placed to tell the people what they were doing wrong, how to correct their wrongdoings, and what the punishment would be if they did not stop committing their offences (Read the book of Amos for an example).

 

Now let me start by saying that there ARE individuals that have the gifting of the Spirit and who can and do prophesy. I have encountered some of them, such as Prophet Robert Brown, Pastor Galena Conaster, and Dr. William E. Adams III to name a few. However, there are a slew of false prophets running around, speaking into people and getting people off spiritual track. How do we identify these people? There are some things that we must be observant of.

 

The first and foremost goes back to 2 Timothy 2:15, where we are instructed to “study to shew thyself approved unto GOD…rightly dividing the WORD of truth.”

This is where it all begins, “why?” you may ask. Well let’s look deeper.

 

1John 4:1 states, “Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.”

 

We are authorized to “try” or to “test” the Spirit to make sure. Brothers and sisters; do not be afraid to test GOD, but the key is not to test as we think in the parent to child sense. We seem to think that “testing” is a negative thing. This is how we have been erroneously programmed. If you remember, Malachi 3:10 GOD says to “…prove me now…” This instructs us to test GOD by doing HIS WORD. If we do this, GOD will move in HIS way, and prove HIMSELF as truth.

 

If we continue to verse 2, “Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God:”

 

We need to be cognizant of what the “prophet” is teaching and or believing. If they are not teaching that JESUS has come to die for our sins, he or she is not of GOD and we are not to be fooled. GOD HIMSELF will make things obvious to us, but we have to be listening for HIS voice. Verse 3 confirms this,

 

 “And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that [spirit] of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world.”

 

My point is this, since one of the purposes of prophecy is to real things that are hidden, and another purpose is to comfort the afflicted, we must apply scripture to what we are still doing in our day to day lives. If a “prophet” tells you that you will be a millionaire, we are to take that to mean, we must yet work in the path that we are working in. That our labor is not in vain, and that, more than likely, it is not going to come overnight. Proverbs 10:4 tells us,

 

He becometh poor that dealeth [with] a slack hand: but the hand of the diligent maketh rich.

 

Proverbs 22:29 also says,

 

Seest thou a man diligent in his business? he shall stand before kings; he shall not stand before mean [men].

 

 

Let’s get in the WORD of GOD so that we can understand the differences.

 

Be Blessed!

  

 

 

 

 

Not focused on what is true...(idol worship)

I was basking in the awesome word that Pastor Ben Gibert gave today on “faithfulness” (Hebrews 11:8-12 if anyone desires to read it). As I then went online to do my daily reading I came across this article:

 

http://www.freep.com/article/20090329/NEWS06/903290416

 

 

Wicca, witchcraft, mother earth, call it what you want to, it is WRONG. If you worship anything but the one true and living GOD, you are an idolater. I guess I could be finished with this meditation, but I have to give some basis, or most of you will think I am some nut case that will be on television soon begging for money. (That was a joke).

 

The WORD of GOD tells us first in Exodus 20 verses 4 and 5:

 

Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness [of any thing] that [is] in heaven above, or that [is] in the earth beneath, or that [is] in the water under the earth:

Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God [am] a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth [generation] of them that hate me;

 

The children of Israel were at a place where they felt that “anything goes.” They figured, “Since we are out here in the wilderness we can do anything that we want.” Does this sound familiar? Human beings have been wise enough to figure out that if we do not learn from history, we are doomed to repeat it. Wise words indeed, however, here we are in 2009 men trying to marry men, women trying to marry women, virginity is looked upon as a disease, underage drinking, adults contributing to the delinquency of minors, adults having sex with minors. Sounds like some cities in the Bible, Sodom, Gomorrah, and Nineveh. Let’s look at Nineveh, this was a great city, so we can presume that it was a booming metropolis the population was approximately 150,000. In fact, it was the Assyrian capital located near what is modern day city of Mosul, Iraq. Now I am of the opinion that this city was doomed from the start. Why? Well first and foremost, it is named from the fish goddess of Babylon. Now the wickedness that was going on in the city had come up before GOD. So if you can imagine this, GOD is in heaven doing things that are GODLY and the exceeding wicked signal goes off. HE looks at it and says to HIMSELF, “They have just about gotten completely out of hand. I remember about 700 human years ago I took care of Sodom and Gomorrah, I guess I am going to have to do the same thing here, wait, I can send Jonah…” and we know the rest of the story, the people of Nineveh went on a fast and put on sackcloth (black goat’s hair garments used primarily for mourning) and GOD spared the city.

 

In relation to the topic of idol worship, in Jonah 1:5 the sailors cried to their own gods and nothing happened. If something would have happened they would not have called for Jonah to come up and pray to his GOD. Once Jonah made the connection, he knew what needed to be done. When Jonah told them, “that he was fleeing from the presence of the LORD,” (verse 10, NASB). The sailors immediately began to pray to GOD saying, “We earnestly pray, O LORD, do not let us perish on account of this man's life and do not put innocent blood on us; for You, O LORD, have done as You have pleased. So they picked up Jonah, threw him into the sea, and the sea stopped its raging. (Chapter 1:14-15 NASB)

 

Isn’t it strange how people will abandon the fake, when they really need the REAL?

 

If you observe the news article, it states that the owner of the store was raised Methodist, yet was kicked out of Sunday school when she asked too many questions. My brothers and sisters we must be rooted in the WORD. There will be those who need us to be able to fill in the blanks of their lives, we are ordered to be prepared. II Timothy 2:15 tells us to “study to shew thyself approved unto GOD, a workman that needeth not be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” GOD’s WORD is truth no excuses. You cannot tell me for a minute that the emperor and creator of the universe has the characteristic of lying and deceit. It is neither Biblical nor logical. Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth and the light, no man cometh unto the Father but by me.” (John 14:6 KJV) We know not the time when we will be called upon to be a witness to someone. We never know when it can make the difference between life and death. Idol worship is sin and “the wages of sin is death...” Let’s be ready for the coming week to live like we have a GOD who loves us and cares for us enough to send HIS only begotten Son to die for us.

 

The meditations for the week:

 

1.                  There is one true GOD

2.                    People who worship things are idolaters (it can be earth, money, television even a person).

3.                    Exercise the discipline of studying the WORD

 

 

Be Blessed!

 

Hip Hop

I recently saw a video by exministries.com (G. Craige Lewis) concerning "Holy Hip Hop". It was very thought provoking to say the least. After taking a couple of hours and really mulling over it I have come to a couple of conclusions well, more like one definite conclusion:

Whomever represents you "first," puts your industry in a position to either succeed or fail.

Basically it all boils down to who is the first person who is spoken to. We as human beings do not really desire to seek after knowledge as the WORD tells us to (Proverbs 4:5, 7) We tend to be lazy and not investigate for ourselves. I compare it to movies, some people like to have the plot and storyline fed to them. These are the people who think that Quentin Tarrantino movies are the worst things ever created, because Tarrantino makes you figure out what's going on. You actually have to think about it and even watch the movie a second or third time to really catch it. I believe that this is the attitude that we should apply to real life situations. We need to dig deeper and get some wisdom on things. I am guilty of this as well, so please do not think I am perfect. Just being transparent.

So here is G. Craige Lewis alleging the spiritual shortcommings of rappers who proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ,  and they do it differently. Where these young men go wrong is that they have not let go of the world first. The Bible says,

"Love not the world, neither the things [that are] in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him." (1 John 2:15) 

So these rappers have already set back the institute of "holy hip hop". By simply proclaiming their "love" for rappers like Jay Z and 50Cent. I do not know what they were thinking about but they obviously were not thinking at all. It is so imperative that we as Christians get in the WORD and thus allow the WORD to get into us. We will not need a swagger if the WORD is in us, because we will be different. Matthew 5: 13:

Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men.

When we season our food, it can be seen. It stands out amongst the colors of the food that it rests on. That is how we should be as Christians. We should not have to force ourselves on the world, they will know that we are different and they will draw to us, then is when we become a testimonial witness to the world.

The interview points out that most of the rappers were raised without fathers. This is a gross generalization that damages the triumphs that these young people have experienced and it insults the intelligence of those who exministires.com is attempting to reach. Saying that holy rap is a "fatherless" genre of music is like saying that every two parent household produces honest members of society who do not commit crimes. This, in and of itself, is utterly ridiculous!

So where do I stand on the matter? I stand on the WORD. I would suggest that G Craige Lewis talk to some more of the rap community before condemming the thing as a whole. I personally appreciate some of the things that they say because it is reaching the teenagers in a language that they speak. I base this on the WORD of GOD as stated in Colossians 4:6:

Let your speech [be] alway with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man. 

Be Blessed!

Here is the link so you can see what I am talking about:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LJPtCNHHLCk

post script: I am not speaking out against G Craige Lewis, I just feel that he needs to do some more research before making generalizations.

Biblical Treatment of Women

The logical side of me really feels compelled to touch on a subject that has been prominent throughout the news lately. Abuse is just stupid. I sincerely feel that it is stupid all the way around. The abuser is stupid, the individual abused is stupid (if they stay or take them back), and I do have some precedence for what I am saying. Check it:

 

As many of you know, I was not always a straight up believer as I am now. Well in the sense of being completely transparent, I was one of the stupid people. I was not a “come home get loaded and beat the hot snot” out of my significant other, but on three occasions over the course of nine years, it happened. I admit to that and I have since asked GOD and my ex to forgive me (that was many years ago, in case you were wondering).

 

Sometimes I sit and think about the situations that surrounded the incidents and wonder, “Was that really necessary?” “Could I have handled the situation differently?” “What would I do differently if a similar situation happened with my true love (Michelle)?”

These things pass through my mind briefly, and then I think to myself, “If you got that stupid with Michelle, she would probably remove my spleen via my posterior with her rings on (OUCH!)

 

Let me start with the obvious, CHRIS BROWN is an idiot, and he is surrounding himself with idiots. I know that that sounds harsh and grace and mercy are available to him and GOD is faithful and just to forgive him, however, I would just like to bring things into perspective and let me tell you, this perspective changed my life!

 

I was doing some precious metals and stones research (I do that from time to time because I’m kind of different.)  Well anyway, through some study I found that the unit of measure for gems is the carat. While I am sure you all are aware of this, here is the trip: A carat is 1/7000 of an ounce! Wrap your mind around that for a moment. That means that it would take seven thousand one carat diamonds to equal ONE OUNCE of weight.

 

So being the numbers person that I am I started running the mathematics and what I found was staggering: if a gem was worth around $2000 a carat, multiply that times 7000. That would give you $14 million dollars for one ounce, if we then multiply this by the number of ounces in a pound (16) we come up with $224 million, then if one multiplies this by say, 150? You can see that this ends up being a WHOLE LOT!

 

Well (you probably knew this was coming) Proverbs 31: 10 asks a question and makes a profound statement. It says “Who can find a virtuous woman? for her price [is] far above rubies.” Now I figure that a 150 lb virtuous woman is worth approximately $33 and a half trillion dollars! Now while one may find that humorous the weight does not matter. There is no price tag on what women can do.

 

I watched my mother toil most of her adult life, to raise her three children, and then her first four grandchildren. While my father, who is a mighty man of GOD, was tending to the spiritual needs of his church, and running multiple businesses, mom was holding our home down. She served as cab driver, dietitian, doctor/nurse, counselor/advisor, teacher, acting coach, with statements like, “you better ACT like you have some sense while we are out here at the store.” She was also a disciplinarian and a tutor. Most of all she just loved all of us. She gave everything to make sure we were going to be alright. Now while she is in the sunset of her life, I have grown to understand the points she was trying to make. I thank her for it and I truly love her.

 

How much does GOD’s favor cost? What if I told you that you could have $1 trillion dollars AND GOD’s favor? What kind of combination is that? I would think that it is a setup of some sort. However, most of us live beneath that privilege. Those of us who are married tend to forget that. Proverbs 18:22 “Whoso findeth a wife findeth a good [thing], and obtaineth favour of the LORD.” This is GOD’s bonus plan. When marriage occurs the way GOD intended, then we get the favor and the $33 trillion! Even when we do not accomplish it quite the way GOD desires it, he still shows HIS divine favor upon it, as long as we are upright before HIM (Proverbs 12:2).

  

The theoretical fact of the matter is: an upright woman is worth more than the musical empire of Chris Brown, Rihanna (sp) or even Michael Jackson. Once again, people are perishing for a lack of knowledge. Do you honestly think that if the masses had and accepted this instruction how much better off this world would be? How many young girls would value themselves and not fall for any line that a guy just drops on them just to get them into bed. How many young people’s self esteem would be elevated? Thousands.

 

Hosea 4:6 “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children.”

 

We wonder what happened to our youth, we wonder why they want to wear their clothes in ways that they were not designed, why do they think that they are in love or even ready for a concept so deep, it is simple in my estimation. Since “mommy” is 21, grandma is 36 and great grandma is 51, no knowledge has been passed and since the most critical of knowledge had been rejected, GOD has forgotten them. Do you disagree? Well let’s look at the same passage, verse 7:

 

The more they multiplied, the more they sinned against Me; I will change their glory into shame. (NASB)

 

‘Nuff said.

 

Which leads me back to young Mr. Brown, you see while his behavior was and is deplorable and illegal by societal standards, I do not ostracize his behavior because of that per se. I speak down about his actions and who he surrounds himself with because he obviously has no GODLY counsel anywhere near him. I am hopeful that someone in his camp has some knowledge of GOD. Otherwise he will be forgotten by GOD. The truth will come out in the coming months.

 

This much I do know, I have no desire to have my children forgotten by GOD, nor do I desire to be forgotten by the ALMIGHTY. Teach your children, nieces, nephews, cousins, neighbors, whomever. Let’s not lose another generation.

 

Be Blessed!

 

Death

I remember the days when I would want to wear clothing and the clothing would not be a good representation of who I am, or I would listen to music that was kind of out there (back in my day it was “Too Live Crew”) and I would not care. Yet at that point, what I was putting in to my soulish man was taking root and setting itself up to manifest in years to come. (That is another thought for discussion at another time).The point I am getting at is the infatuation with the skull imagery. I was in the store the other day and I observed a wall full of clothing with skulls on them. I began to get a bit disturbed by this open display of death. Now, I must admit, I used to think about getting a tattoo of the grim reaper holding a sickle and a 12 gauge Mossberg on my back (whew, glad I rethought that). I wanted to get this symbol as a sign that I was not one to be messed with. Well in retrospect, I am still not one to be messed with and it is because of what is inside, not because of what someone drew on me. Back to the skull thing, this simply tells me that, once again, the enemy (society) has got humanity all twisted up. I guess you can call me the “society” police (lol). What is the infatuation with death? Why is it being celebrated? Let’s take a look at this from a different viewpoint:Hebrews 9:27 tell us that, “And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment”This tells us that death is not the end, but a stage of transition. We as believers in Christ know that we look forward to this moment when we will hear our Lord tell us, “Well done thy good and faithful servant…” However, society would have you believe that you die and then that is it, so why not live it up? Why not do what you want to do? Look at death in the scripture, “it is appointed unto men once to die…” When an individual reaches death, they are actually in the highest court. You see, in actuality the life we live is a preparation for a trial. Every move we make are “exhibits a, b, c” and so forth. Any improper motive we have will be brought up on the day of our trial. We will be judged. I feel the need to say it again,“We will be judged.” The next step after death is “the judgment.”For what? Why? Well it goes something like this. We are the only creatures in GOD’S creation that have a choice. That is why there is grace and mercy, because of the choices that we make. If we always made the right choices there would be no need for forgiveness. That is why GOD is faithful and just to forgive us. (1 John 1:9) It also says that we must “confess our sins” so there is a need for forgiveness because there is wrongdoing.No matter what you do, no matter whom you do it with, no matter what area code, zip code, country code, whatever. It will be brought to light and you will be judged according to Ecclesiastes 12:14 (refer back to the Laws and Principles note). There is no exception. So here we are, still celebrating death when death is a serious matter. How serious? It is serious enough to be mentioned 342 times in the Bible. (KJV)However, I ask again, why celebrate death? We only go through death one time and the gravity of it is very serious. Why don’t we celebrate life? Instead of wearing something negative, wear something positive. Choose to celebrate the life you were given. Choose to celebrate the gifts that GOD has given. Celebrate the love that you have for your spouse, parents, siblings and children. Most important, choose to celebrate the ultimate sacrifice that was made for you when Christ gave up HIS life so that we may have eternal life and remember: Revelation 20:13 And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works. Judgment is inevitable, what will the judgment be on your behalf?

Laws and Principles

Society has really got it twisted. Now let me tell you a little something about me, I am by no means an innocent man, and to be quite honest, I have forgotten more of the stupid things that I have done then I can remember, that and the statute of limitations has not run out on some of them, so I will take those to the grave. Why do I say this? So that it qualifies me to minister to those of you who are out doing whatever you want to because you think that anything goes. Well let me tell you that it does not."Why?" You ask? Well I will break it down for you, be forewarned if the truth hurts, prepare for a beating.

When God created the heavens and the earth, HIS supreme intellect shows itself through HIS creation of laws and principles. Here is where we as humans get it twisted, we mistake principles for laws. Let me say that again,

We mistake priciples for laws.

What do you mean? One may ask, well when I was in my twenties, I used to think that, "I am my own person" and "I do what I want to do" and "I don't care what anyone thinks." The problem with this way of thinking is that it goes against GOD'S LAWS. You see, in HIS SUPREME intelligence GOD thought about it and said to HIMSELF, "I will make 2 sets of laws. Undeniable ones such as gravity and motion" These are ones that you do not need to believe per se. They just are. If you jump off of the Ren Cen or the Sears Tower, you will not only come down and prove the law of gravity, you will come down at such a high velocity, you will probably be unidentifiable when you come to the sudden stop at the end, thus the law of motion. These laws GOD put into place because they are needed for HIS creation to exist, there are many others and without getting too scientific they keep the other aspects of the world that we live in functioning.Now here's the interesting part. GOD also put into play some laws which take faith to see. How are these laws to be seen? Through GOD's Word. When I was explaining my theories about myself a few minutes ago, that is society's thought process or to be quite frank, the enemy's injection.The Bible states that,

"A [good] name [is] rather to be chosen than great riches, [and] loving favour rather than silver and gold." Proverbs 22:1

This is a common passage, but let's take it a little bit further. Ecclesiates 7:1 states,
"A good name [is] better than precious ointment; and the day of death than the day of one's birth."

So I think that it is safe to say, that this is a law that is in place, yet highly ignored.

The reason I am on this topic is because of the behavior that I am witnessing in my community, on youtube, on facebook, on television (when I watch it because I really don't watch much any more) in the restaurants....etcThose of you that are engaging in behavior that is contradictory to the WORD of GOD, there is a law for you too:the law of sowing and reaping.You see a lot of people who think of sowing and reaping think of people like Mike Murdoch and Creflo Dollar, Joel Osteen and other mega ministers and think that this is the way that they get your money. However, here is your warning: this applies to every facet of YOUR life. Period no exceptions. The reason that you don't believe it is that you cannot always see it. I will say it again:

The reason that you do not believe it is that you do not see it.

The world likes to refer to this as cause and effect, yin and yang etc. The simple fact of the matter is "whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap." Galatians 6:7.If you sow (plant) seeds of wrongdoing, best believe you will reap (harvest) the fruit of wrongdoing. Tell a lie and never be trusted. Hold a grudge and never be forgiven when you want it most. I could go on and on in the areas of alcohol, sexual misconduct, drug abuse...basically destructive actions to the body.To sum it up, you have a choice, believe it or not. Trust GOD or not, abide by HIS laws or do not. The summarization of everything that you say behind closed doors, every little thing that you do in the dark, things that you think no one will ever know, the TRUTH is found in

Ecclesiastes chapter twelve verses thirteen and fourteen:

13. Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this [is] the whole [duty] of man.14. For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether [it be] good, or whether [it be] evil.Be Blessed!

(So I guess that since you got a sermon I should collect an offering. Well consider this me, sowing into your lives as my friends)